When to Reveal Personal Secrets in a Particular Relationship

Abstract

This final chapter opens with one more movie example that I think may have sent a counterproductive message to the public about how protecting one′s privacy relates to one′s integrity. In the 2000 movie, ″The Contender,″ the vice president dies, and the president appoints a replacement, Laine Hanson (played by Joan Allen). But a political opponent in charge of approving the new appointee dredges up a history of sexual misconduct on her part, threatening to destroy her political career and tarnish the reputation of the current administration. Andrew Manning wrote in his October 2000 review that the ending is ″completely unrealistic—it involves a politician being so honest that they′re willing to ruin themselves for their ideals, and I find that highly unbelievable in a field where deception and pandering are some of the cornerstones of the career″ (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-1100998/reviews.php?critic=approved&sortby=default&page=10&rid=156099. Retrieved 3/16/01).